The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-03-04
ayes"
n1fu hat he was A robber- -

MN had arrived without baggage, bu
had there purchased a valise, and his ner
vous manner and the sight OF so mucl
money in his possession had led the por
ter to finally conclude that there was
mystery there somewhere, although b
had not spoken Of it to any one arouuC
the house. The man had purchased
suit of coarse clothes, with hat AID shoe
to match, and in leaving had taken tn
highway leading toward Oshkosh. HI
had purchased another bottle of hair dyt
in Portage, but had apparently given hi
rel hair up as a bad job. He not ouly
left the bottle in his room, but by mean
Of soap and water washed off what dye
he had put on at Milwaukee.
Lane had given the landlord to under
stand that he was hard working young
man who had started out to look for a
job, but he had departed without fixing
on anything definite did not believe
he would 60 t. Oshkosh. He was acting
like man who reasoned that if he could
hide himself away in the country for a
few weeks his crime and his ident ty
would both be forgatten. To catch the
embezzler without capturing his swag
would have been no credit to me. He
had several days the start OF me, and had
by this time got job of some sort.
procured n rough suit of clothes, hired
horse, and set oil on his trail. As he
had gone on foot with large valise in
his hand it was easy to hear Of him along
the road He headed toward Oshkosh
for five or six miles, and then turned di-
rectly north. 1t was in the fall of the
year, and the roads were in bad c0ndi-
ton, but he made twenty -four miles that
first day, not stopping at all for dinner.
He went to the northeast for six miles,
to the north for ten miles, and then
he turned due west, almost on line with
La Crosse, and went eight miles before
stopping at an inn had only made the
same number of miles on horseback, but
as he had to lie by the next forenoon on
account of the rain, while | had good
weather, gained half day on bin. He
proceeded toward 1t Crosse for ten miles
more, and then went north two miles,
and stayed over night with farmer and
talked about going TO workin saw mill.
Next day he headed due west, and
reached the Wisconsin River at hamlet
called Little Bend. 1t was on the sixth
day after he left Milwaukee that To-
Gated him, and he had then been at work
in a saw mill for a day aud a half. l
entered the hamlet on foot, as he had
done, having a few extra clothes in a
bundle, and it was soon known to the
seventy-five or eighty population that l
was in search of work. The owner of
the only store in the place also kept a sa-
loon and tavern, aad, under pretense cf
being footsore and used up. remained
idle for two or three days, although the
mill owner was short of hands and de-
sired me to go to work at once
1t may be thought strange that l did
not ut once arrest ane and have done
with it. Had l overhauled him en- route
that would have been the plan, for the
money would have been in his valise. He
had taken board at the tavern, and dur
ing my first half day there l had found
his room open and his valise unlocked.
There was nothing in it which any one
would want to take away. lie had, like
a sharp man, taken his money out and
planted it. He could not Justly suspect
that was after him, for after three or
four days l went to work alongside of
him and held him at distance. He
tried hard TO get acquainted with me.
but / was taciturn and unsocial. lie
gave me an opportunity to ask him ques-
tions, but refused to profit by it. l
for a purpoae, that ] left Mil
waukee -four or five days behind him,
and alter seeming to reflect for while,
he asked:
"Nas there any special news when
you leftin
Il don't remember
mo murders or robberiesm
'rThere was mystery of some sort, l
believe. Somebody drew a lot Of money
out of the bank, fell into the hands of
sharpers, and they were looking il the
river and lake for his dead body
Hmm he coughed, and that ended
our conversation, though did not fail
TO notice the look of qualification which
crept over his face. That he had hidden
the treasure was certain. That he would
visit it sooner or later was dead sure.
watched him closely during the day, and
| saw that he was nervous and process
pied. expected he would 90 out TO in
spect his treasure at night, and | took
my precautions that he should not es-
cape me, but he made no move. He went
to work on Friday noon of one week and
on Thursday of the next. When Sun
day week came it was q bright, warm
day, and made up my mind not 10 loose
sight of him for an hour. There were
several acres of logs in the yard, and
after breakfast went TO the mill, climbed
up in the attic, and had the yard and
the hamlet under my eye. At about 10
o'clock Lane came down into the yard.
about in an aimless sort Of
way, though all the time keeping his
eyes open, and by and by / saw him in
specting huge log lying rear q tkorn-
apple tree, which was the only tree or
bush in the yard. ] had been hauling
logs with the cattle to the bank and
dumping them off for the elevator or car
TO carry them up the incline into the
mill, and had noticed the big log. 1t
had been there for years, and was worth
less. Now that | saw Lane in the vicin- (
ity made up my mind that he had hid
den his money close by, and slipped out
and went for a ramble in the woods.
That night at midnight, without any /
thing having happened to create suspi
zion on Lanes pirt, | dressed myself and /
crept out OF the tavern to make 4 hunt I
for the money. On my way out paused 4
1t his door, and he was breathing like a
man fast asleep. / had my revolver and |
1 pair of handouts ready to take with /
me, but missed them after l got outside. (
Everything about was so quiet that / set I
Of, thinking 10 be back with the money |
in a Jew minutes The big log lay within !
twenty feet of the bank. There was a
no low in one end, but no money. The |
other end was solid. | climed over it |
and passed around it, and had just dis
covered hollow which had been the !.
base of big limb, when got blow on |
the neck which rolled me over and over |
Tor ten feet Before l could get up
Lane was upon me He was a good deal /
the larger and stouter man. but he could /
not hold me still. | could roll under /
him, and. while his object seemed to be
to clutch my throat, gave him two good
blows in the face and got to my feet.
Not word was spoken by either of US.
We stood for a moment gasping for /
breath, and then he rushed at me like IN
,nraged bull, and we both clinched. He
handled me almost as if had been
bow. and Il wasn't over u minute before